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Ch. XI. On the Vials in general, and the fifth vial in parti-

cular,

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CHAPTER I.

ON MR. FLEMING'S INTERPRETATION OF THE FOURTH VIAL.

THE desire of penetrating into futurity is a passion congenial to the human mind; and whenever, from a careful inspection of prophecy, the attempt is attended with any share of success, our curiosity is awakened and our attention fixed. This, in the opinion of many, has happened with respect to a Discourse of Mr. Fleming; since, writing at the commencement of the present century, he gave, in the course of his remarks on the book of Revelation, such a representation of events, as, in a considerable degree, has been accomplished near the period of its ter

mination.

In the sublime scenery of the xvth ch. of that prophecy, seven angels' are represented as having seven vials, which are called the seven last plagues; for, says the prophet (v. 1.) in them is filled up the wrath of God. These plagues, which are successively described in ch. xvi, Mr. Fleming regards as judgments' principally, though not exclusively, upon Rome Papal 2.'

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The passages which follow are extracted from a Discourse, published, with three others, by Mr. Fleming 3 in

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1 ' In the style of prophecy, every thing is called an angel, that notifies a message from God, or executes the will of God? Lowman on ch. i. 1. 2 See p. 59, 77.

3 Our author's father, who published a large work, entitled the Fulfilling of Scripture, was one of the 400 ministers of Scotland, who were ejected from their livings soon after the restoration of Charles II. When liberated from his confinement in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, he fled to Holland; and his son, Mr. Robert Fleming, in consequence, carried on his

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the year 1701. After endeavoring to shew, that the three first vials pointed out events, which had undermined the power of the Roman pontiff and his adherents; he proceeds to the fourth, as foretelling other events, which would, assuredly, be in a high degree injurious to them.

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St. John says, ch. xvi. v. 8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire,The chief thing,' says Mr. Fleming, to be taken notice of here, is, that the sun and other luminaries of heaven are the emblems of princes and kingdoms, as we took notice of before. Therefore the pouring out of this vial on the sun MUST denote the humiliation of some eminent potentates of the Romish interest, whose in fluences and countenar.ee cherish and support the Papal cause. And these therefore must be principally understood of the houses of Austria and Bourbon, though not exclusively of other Popish princes. So that there is ground to hope, that, about the beginning of another such century, things may again alter for the better: for I cannot but hope that some new mortification of the chief supporters of Antichrist will then happen; and perhaps the French Monarchy may begin to be considerably humbled about that time that whereas the present French king takes the

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studies in the universities of Leyden and Utrecht. After having prosecuted them with diligence, he became successively minister of the English church at Leyden, and the Scotch church at Rotterdam; and he afterwards removed to that of Founder's Hall in Lothbury. The subsequent passage is from a letter of the Rev. Mr. Joshua Toulman of Taunton, communicated by him to the European Magazine, and extracted from Dr. Joshua Oldfield's funeral sermon for Mr. Fleming. He was induced to settle with the congregation in Lothbury; not only at the earnest invitation of the people, but by the desire of king William, who often advised with him on the concerns of his own country. But such were his modesty and prudence, that he requested, whenever he was called to court, it might be with the greatest privacy. He was richly furnished both with ornamental and solid learning; being conversant not only with fathers and councils, and ecclesiastical and civil historians, but with the Oriental languages, the Jewish rabbies, and the polite authors, ancient and modern. He was highly valued by the professors of foreign universities.' See Pref. to his Christology, and Eur. Mag. for March, 1793.

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